


Halloween dreams...till dawn.

by ThreeMagpies



Category: Revolution (TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, Gen, Post S2, The Good Ship Charloe's Charloeween fic fest, charloe - Freeform, horror themes, slow burn charloe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-08-19 07:16:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8195579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThreeMagpies/pseuds/ThreeMagpies
Summary: The war against the Patriots was still going months after Texas put Davis on trial as a traitor then somehow let him escape and there’d been reports of a Patriot remnant, a small group of cadets and a handler, hiding out in a little one cantina town in the hills near the Mexican border. Bass and Charlie had gone to investigate, leaving their unit in the next town over cleaning up another little mess. It was the last day of October, Halloween, almost the day of the dead…





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Good Ship Charloe's Charloeween fic fest!! hope you enjoy, :) Magpie

‘Well that’s pretty freaking obvious...’ Charlie was plastered face down on the dusty top of a hill above the little town under the cover of a few straggly trees, the long shadows of a late afternoon sun snaking over the ground. The light gave everything a shimmering edge, glinting off the metal rings of the damn, totally tempting chain belt that followed the rounded curves of her ass like little metal fingers.

His own fingers itching to trace those curves, Bass shuffled his junk into a more comfortable position on the rocky ground and took the binoculars she passed him instead, slipping her their whisky flask with his other hand. He lifted the glasses to his eyes, focused on the billboard standing proud above the roof of the sprawling, white Spanish style cantina and chuckled. It was a garish porn ‘toon of a woman with spectacularly unrealistic breasts done up in fluoro paint instead of neon, a name written in a flowing, cheeky, glowing script snaking above her head. ‘The Titty Teaser?’ He kept looking, grinning as he checked out the rusted wrecks of bikes, trucks and RV’s in the yard and the couple of post blackout, recycled wagons parked out front, horses standing relaxed, tied to the rail and munching slowly in their nosebags. ‘It’s kind of from an old movie, a pretty good one too...‘ 

He remembered watching it on furlough once in the cramped back row of a two bit, down town theatre in Malibu with Miles and a couple of sweet young things they’d picked up in a bar and a flashlight memory of his hands clenched deep in a mass of silky hair in the flickering dark with hot lips and a wet tongue wrapped and sucking hard around his dick had him shifting again to make a bit more room between his pants and the hard ground underneath him.

Charlie turned her head towards him, putting the flask down and licking a drop off her full bottom lip with the pink tip of her tongue, ‘a movie about a strip joint?’ She winked at him, her eyes wicked, ‘bet you loved that.’ 

He saw her out of the corner of his eye, his mind turning the dark hair in his lap into thick, dirty blond strands and things down south got a lot more crowded as his cock shifted gear to full speed like a quarter mile racer, his heart skipping a beat like it did whenever she did something like that, fuck, whenever she did anything, full stop. He gritted his teeth. It had started back in Philly, gotten worse in that fucking pool in New Vegas then Willoughby and Austin and a hundred places since and now? Now there was no way back...

He put the glasses down to look at her, which wasn’t hard because she was a whole world better than any fucking billboard, better than any memory and it was getting harder all the time pretending that this thing wasn’t happening between them. He hadn’t done anything about it. Not yet anyway, although one of them was going to have to do something pretty damn soon because he could feel it in her too, the rising tension between them like a big mother of a storm brewing off in the distance and getting closer. 

He pulled himself back, trying to act as though there was nothing happening, nothing that shouldn’t be happening anyway, but the need to touch her, to do a whole lot more than that was driving him fucking crazy. 

Because Miles had asked him to look after her, keep her safe. Not fall in love with her, damn it to hell. 

Charlie was watching him, her eyes a deep, deep blue, searing into him like twin blades... 

Fuck, she had to know what she was doing to him… 

She tore her eyes away from his, her cheeks flushed and lips swollen almost as though he’d kissed her already, the tip of her tongue sliding over them like a slow motion scene from the movie. Looking back at the cantina, she sucked in another long pull on the whisky bottle, dialing it all back, for now anyway. ‘So what was the film about anyway?’

He put the glasses to his eyes again. Of course she knew because she was lying there strung as tight as her bowstring. But he played along anyway… ‘A couple of bank robbers on the run, brothers, kidnap a preacher and his kids, then run into some Mexican vampires in a strip bar kind of like this one called the Titty twister. Then they find out it’s built over an ancient tomb and the whole thing turns into a bloodbath. ‘ He chuckled as the scenes played in his head… ‘The music was great and the big bad was this gorgeous woman who did a strip dance with a giant white snake then turned into a vampire along with all the bar staff,’ he shrugged and shot a glance at her. ‘Almost everyone in the movie gets turned into a vampire or killed in a really, really horrible way. You’d like it.’ 

She lifted an eyebrow, her eyes glinting back at him, ‘Really? So what are vampires? And I thought you didn’t like snakes?’ Her hair was its usual gorgeous stringy dark blond mess in the shadowy brilliance of the setting desert sun and her ass and long strong legs stretched out like a picture postcard below that damn belt and the tantalizing strip of flesh that always seemed to be there between her tank and jeans. 

He grinned again, although his hands were clenched tight around the glasses to keep them from reaching out to see if that little strip was as soft as it looked... ‘She made the snake look good, and vampires are humans who turn into fanged monsters who drink human blood.’ He laughed at the look of disgust that crossed her face. ‘It was a riot, really.’

She reached for the glasses again, handing him back the whisky. ‘I don’t know. People growing fangs and drinking blood? That’s just stupid,’ she had another look at the Cantina, ‘and I can’t see any ancient tombs hiding under there either.’

‘We don’t know what’s down there, Charlie, could be anything. It’s Halloween tonight, we’re nearly in Mexico and it’s the Day of the Dead tomorrow. The time when spooky things happen.’ He grinned, his teeth big and white…

She snorted, although her mouth was twitching. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Bass. They’re just stories people tell to scare their kids into being good and an excuse to have a costume party,’ her eyes darted skyward then back to him, serious now, ‘unless there are some of Aaron and Priscilla’s fireflies around? Because they’re real, and they’re actually scary…’

He had a look around, just in case, but there were no weird little green bugs anywhere, which was a very good thing because she was right, they were actually scary. ‘Haven’t seen any lately.’ 

He took a long swallow from the flask then went back to watching Charlie as she went back to watching the Titty teaser, her hair tumbling down over her shoulders into the dust. Not that she cared about that. She didn’t seem to know or care how gorgeous she was. She was smart too, Matheson smart. They made a damn good team and along with their troop of Texas rangers they’d been systematically and ruthlessly hunting down the patriot remnants that still haunted these parts. They were very, very good at killing. In fact she was almost as deadly as her uncle now, and maybe a touch more ruthless than Miles had ever been. 

Sometimes it was just like working with Miles in the old days, only better.

He spared a thought for his brother, off with Rachel, Staypuft and his weird lady friend dealing with the Bradbury thing and took a deep breath, telling his dick and his heart to settle down. Miles trusted him to keep her safe, and maybe that included keeping her safe from Bass Monroe. 

He sighed… Shit.

Charlie stiffened, angling the glasses so the sun wouldn’t catch them, her elbow digging into his ribs. ‘Look, I think the rest of the gang’s just arrived.’ 

A covered wagon was coming down the road at a fast trot, turning into the parking lot in front of the Cantina, the horses snorting and sweating as the driver pulled them up to a halt with fountaining spurts of dust and pebbles from the wheels dragging on the broken road. 

The driver, an older man, white beard, in tattered, dirty fatigues hopped down and ran round to take care of the horses. 

Two other men, young, one black, the other Hispanic, and a thin, hard faced, older white woman got out of the wagon and headed for the door, their movements furtive, fast…

Bass frowned. ‘Now why are they in such a hurry?’

Charlie stared at the woman, then dropped the binoculars and turned to Bass, ‘I know her, Bass…’ Her eyes were harsh, angry and sad at the same time, her lips set in a hard line. ‘She was running the store in Austin, the one at the patriot safe house? And I saw her outside just before they turned Jason into one of them, before I...’ 

He grabbed the glasses to have a look, because if it was her the fucking patriot bitch lady was going to answer hard for what they made Charlie do back there, but damn it the three of them had gone inside, the driver not far behind. He turned back to her, cold rage making his voice harsh... ‘Are you sure?’

The sun was dropping fast now behind them, almost sunset, the first stars appearing almost by magic and a big, red gold sickle moon rising above the roof of the Titty teaser as though someone was lifting a curtain, and for a surreal moment it looked like a smile, a bloody smile…

She nodded, face grim and beautiful…the moon lighting little flames in her eyes. ‘It’s her.’

He shuffled back, keeping low just in case. ‘Ok then,’ he caught her eyes, knew his were burning like hers because he could feel the bezerker building inside him too, like a bonfire just set alight. ‘You ready to do this?’ But he knew she was, he could smell how ready she was… 

She was already backing up and reaching for her bow, but she paused, her eyes still on his although now the anger was banked up behind them like fuel and a cold, killer smile played around those luscious lips. ‘Hell yeah.’ 

And he smiled too, because until they got their shit sorted out, fighting next to her was the next best thing to fucking her... 

…………………………


	2. The witching hour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is another chapter for the Good Ship Charloe Charloeween fic fest!! Thank you so much for reading, and for your lovely comments on part 1. ☺ I think there’ll be another couple of chapters to this – they have to deal with things at the Titty teaser, and then… Anyway, hope to see you at the next one! Cheers, Magpie ☺

The little town was eerily quiet in the moonlit dark as they ghosted along the main street towards the Titty Teaser past rows of small brick terraces and shops, their windows blacked out and shuttered, every door shut tight. They passed a seedy wagon and bicycle repair yard and overgrown market gardens and a small, Spanish style church sat behind a picket fence across the road, its windows dark broken holes in the pockmarked white washed walls. 

Bass looked up then nudged Charlie. The steel cross at the top of the bell tower was bent almost flat and twisted, as though it had been knocked over by something, or struck by lightning maybe? 

She checked it out, then looked back at him, ‘big crows?’

He shrugged, ‘maybe,’ He looked again, ‘very big crows.’ 

They kept going. 

Nothing else moved in the shadowy street except the wind blowing small clouds, dust, rubbish and old leaves and ruffling the tattered fur of a large rat that took one look at them and darted back into the dark.

They stopped, leaning up against the crumbling brick wall of the last building in the block, the tumbledown awning above their heads sunk so low he’d had to duck to get under it and Charlie glanced up at Bass, her eyes flicking towards the wreck of a vintage Dodge Charger sitting rusting on its rims next to the pumps of the abandoned gas station. ‘What do you think?’

It was the only cover between them and the next block so there wasn’t really an alternative but it was how they worked, why they were such a good team. She checked out front, he kept an eye outback. The fact that it meant he could keep an eye on her ass too was totally irrelevant...

He nodded, ‘it’ll do.’ He followed her as she ran towards the car. They were going fast and keeping it quiet but even so Bass felt a prickle of awareness skitter over his shoulders. It felt as though someone, or something was watching them and he scanned around as they went, eyes hard, alert. The weird moon didn’t help much, or the wind either. There were little bangs and skittering sounds around them that set his teeth on edge and the shadows were so sharp they seemed to have teeth…

Charlie glanced back at him, tension making her eyes glitter and her lips tight. She had her bow out ready, an arrow loaded…

He felt it too. Something was seriously off about this place and he’d feel much easier once they got off the road and under cover. It was too early for there to be no one around at all and even if everyone in town was a dawn to dusk type there should be some lights or sounds coming from somewhere along the road, some sign of life, a horse or mule, a pig maybe… even a drunk or two? But there was nothing, nada. Except the rat... There’d been people around earlier while they were checking the place out from the hilltop, not many, granted, but some. So where were they? 

Then just as they reached the car, something big flew overhead, blocking out the moon, something that flapped and cackled... 

The whole world went dark for a moment like someone flicked a switch off and on again.

Charlie leapt the last couple of steps to the car, diving to the ground behind it in an instinctive, almost elegant arc. On the way down she slung her pack and bow out of the way to make room for Bass, twisting her top half around so she could see what was coming over the hood of the car almost in the same movement, her knife in her hand in a move so quick the only clue she’d done it was the flash of her blade. ‘What the fuck was that?’ her voice was an almost not there whisper, the sibilants blurred to stop the sound travelling. 

Bass was too busy getting himself down alongside her to answer right away, his body sliding in the gravel and dust, his legs ending up tangled up in hers and his machete somehow not spiking anything vital as he swung around and up, his eyes searching the sky above them. But whatever the fuck it was had gone and all that he could see was that weird smiling moon and a few small clouds racing in front of the stars. ‘Damned if I know…’ His blue eyes flashed at her, blown dark with excitement and exertion, his lips twisting into a daredevil grin because whatever it was he had it to thank for his being this close to her. ‘It’s Halloween, maybe it was a vampire?’

She grinned back, a reckless energy skittering down her spine. His old leather jacket was close and smelled of him and she could see the hard cut, shadowed planes of his chest through the fabric of his threadbare shirt, the strong lines of his neck through the open collar at his throat. He was close enough that she could even see the beads of sweat on his skin, the little lines on his lips and the blond tips to the eyelashes that framed those impossibly blue eyes. Having him that close sent shivers down her spine and tingles everywhere else and she clenched her thighs tight against a clit that suddenly and desperately demanded attention… 

She decided there and then that she was going to enjoy the feel of his body warm and big and vibrant against hers and fuck the consequences because maybe it was time to stop running from this thing they had going. Maybe it was beyond time. 

He was still looking at her, watching her face and waiting for her to say something, do something because damn there was something profound going on in that complicated Matheson head of hers. Then her grin turned into something else, something full of intent…

‘So they can fly too? Can’t wait to meet ‘em.’ She reached down to flick the safety catch on her bow and as she did her jacket and tank somehow slipped sideways off her shoulders revealing the soft, heavy curve of a breast and a moon kissed nipple that pebbled to a peak as the night breeze caught it.

Bass stared, his breath catching in his throat as a bolt of something that felt like a streak of fucking lightning sizzled its way down to his cock and all points in between. The little pink bud was so close that he if he leaned over just a tiny little bit he could take it between his lips. Shit. He only just managed to stop himself from bending to do that very thing when his eyes met hers in a blinding scorch fest that had him hoping that maybe just maybe they’d stopped fucking around and that this was finally it. 

He fell into those eyes…caught like gravity.

Charlie was caught too, almost dizzy with it and as she leaned in towards him her foot slipped on the loose gravel and everything went sideways as she fell towards him, trying to keep her knife from cutting into either of them and ending up with her legs slid scissoring through his with one boot headed straight for the heavy bulge at his crotch. 

Bass sucked in a breath as his balls shrank in anticipation of being stomped on, his free hand shooting down instinctively to cover them although another part of him was relishing the feel of her that close and wanted her even closer whatever the cost to his pride and joys, wanted it so much that he could taste her on his tongue, feel his hands on her skin.

She laughed, one of her hands shooting out to brace on his shoulder, just managing to keep from falling onto him, to keep her boot from hitting home. But she didn’t stop it completely and the rounded tip of her boot made contact with his crotch, the edge of the sole working little circles over the hardening mound of his dick. Her eyes darted to his, challenging him to do something about it.

Her boot felt like a fist on his dick, a hard, delicious pressure and he watched as her tongue dipped out to wet her lips to shining moon red. 

Ok then. 

He blinked, his need for her raging so fucking loudly in his blood that he forgot about anything and everything else, even the whatever it was that had flown in front of the moon, even the patriots waiting for judgement in the cantina although his hand kept a tight grip on his machete out of long, long habit. 

Never give up your weapon…

He twisted round against the car and caught her foot in his other hand, holding it where it was on his cock because it felt so good, his thumb stretching up and finding the flesh of her leg through a hole in her jeans just above where her boots finished, circling, enjoying the sound of her indrawn breath. 

He mouthed a word, and it escaped into the air, floating between them. ‘Tease.’

She leaned towards him, her eyes and lips getting closer and closer to his, her boot pressing harder against him then releasing as she spread her knees out around his chest, straddling him. 

There was a clanging rattle as his machete hit the car on it’s way to the ground.

She dropped her knife too as her lips touched his and she breathed against his mouth. ‘It’s only teasing if you don’t mean it…’

And then she was kissing him, his scruff soft on her cheeks and chin, his lips dry and hot and eager on hers and the big, fast pulse at his throat loud in her ears. 

His hand found her breast, the big fingers spreading out over the springy flesh and around her nipple, his touch gentle, soft and unbearably, incredibly arousing. His other hand was hard on her ass though, his fingers gripping her through the old jeans, steadying her, his legs spreading out and keeping them both from falling...

She hadn’t expected gentle, not from him, not really, and it made something hard inside that she hadn’t realised was there melt a little. The rough skin of his fingertips sent bursts of sweet sensation southwards and his hands on her were familiar from her dreams, even though she hadn’t let him touch her like that before, hadn’t let him touch her at all. She hadn’t lied to Miles about that.

The kiss was soft at first too, a careful exploration of this new thing between them, neither quite believing that they were really, finally here.

Charlie tasted him, drank deep, pulling everything of him into herself and it felt so good. It was like all the threads were coming together. From Philadelphia, the Tower and New Vegas, from Pottsboro and that school when she thought he was gone but he came back for her. From the time when he was nearly, really gone after that execution but he came back, and a hundred other times and places since. It felt like they’d always been heading towards this. It felt like being finally home... 

Bass opened his eyes, just to check that she was actually there, that this wasn’t some kind of fever dream. Then he moved his hand from her breast and up into her hair, feeling her legs tighten around him, her panting breath and his own as he pulled her in closer, deepening the kiss, finding her tongue, sweet and wet, the scent of her setting his brain and cock on fire…

She felt like heaven and he didn’t want it to stop.

What was wrong with just staying here for a while? The ground was quite comfortable really. Fuck the patriots, he was happy being a titty teaser right here…

Then somebody, or something nearby chuckled. It was a wet, noisy sound. Guttural, bestial....

Bass didn’t know if Charlie moved first or he did. It didn’t matter. What did matter was that they were both on their feet, weapons in hand because he really didn’t fucking believe what they were looking at.

Charlie stared too, especially at the long, very sharp and way too many for the mouth teeth, her eyes wide. ‘Is that…? I mean, is that a…?’ She gripped her knife harder, reflexes totally in fight mode, wishing she’d managed to grab her bow too but knowing she couldn’t get it now because there was no way on this earth she was taking her attention off the thing standing grinning in front of them.

Bass nodded once, watching for little green lights out of the corners of his eyes though because this couldn’t actually be happening. ‘I think so, unless people round here are really, really fucking good at Halloween make up.’

The vampire had red eyes and was dressed in tattered, bloody bike leathers. It hissed then laughed again, sticking out a long, black tongue and waggling it at Charlie, one long, bony hand going down and doing a crotch grab and wiggle with a couple of pelvic thrusts, the other crooking a finger in a come on…

‘Ew…’ Charlie’s face wore a look of complete disgust. ‘You have got to be kidding me…’ She glanced at Bass, then back. ‘So how do we kill it?’

The thing looked disappointed for a moment, then it shrugged, hissed, and sprang at them, clawed hands reaching, mouth wide and teeth like rows of really big, dirty needles.

There was a metallic flash as Bass stepped forwards and almost casually swung his machete.

The thing’s head went one way and it’s body the other, both parts dissolving into a rain of red goo that dropped to the ground, bubbling a bit before disappearing into the dust…

‘Like that I guess.’ He grinned at her, wiping his blade on a piece of rag then sheathing it with a snick of metal on metal, ‘I always wondered if that part was true.’

Charlie shrugged, looking around. The little town looked a whole lot more sinister than it did before and she was getting worried about the big flapping thing now… ‘Maybe we should get going? There could be more of them.’ She bent to pick up her pack and bow and slung them over her shoulder.

Bass was looking at her, the grin gone and his eyes full of regret, because, well, fuck. They couldn’t seem to catch a break and then as soon as they did the universe threw real Halloween stuff into the mix. What was that about? ‘Yeah. I guess…’ 

She sighed and went up close, pulling him down so she could reach. Then she kissed him, long and hard, leaving them both breathless and wanting more.... ‘Hey, as soon as we kill the patriots and the vampires and whatever else is lurking around here, we’ll take up where we left off, ok?’

He hugged her, hard, his eyes burning blue. ‘Charlie, that had better be a promise.’

She nodded, looking straight back at him, ‘It is.’

Somewhere off in the distance, something howled. Then several other somethings howled too, and they sounded closer...

Charlie cleared her throat, hopeful, ‘Wolves?’

Bass shrugged. ‘Maybe, maybe not, but I think we should go anyway…’ He let go of her and grabbed his crap. ‘You ready?’

She nodded again, ‘yeah…’

They started running.

………………………………………………..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hi, and thanks so much for reading!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you so much for reading, and for your lovely comments. I hope you enjoy this one. I’d like to also send a big thankyou hug to LoveForTheStory for her wonderful insights and excellent advice, you are awesome Love xx ☺ Magpie

The moon hung high above the cantina covering everything in a red veil. The sign on the roof glowed like an obscene dream and the cartoon eyes seemed to follow them as they took cover behind a big pile of tall rocks, still a little out of breath from the run. 

The torch lit doors of the Titty Teaser were about a hundred yards away, past the wagons, horses and carcasses of old rusted trucks and bikes. The wolves, if they were wolves, hadn’t shown up, nor had the flying thing and there hadn’t been any more vampires either. In fact it was eerily quiet except for the wind and the faintest sound of rock music from inside the building. 

Bass was keeping a watchful eye behind them though, just in case.

Charlie had the binoculars scoping out the cantina, but couldn’t see anything through the filthy windows except that there were lights on inside and vague shadows moving around. 

‘It’s weird, but the horses are ok,’ Bass was frowning, ‘If there were wolves around or anything else strange you’d think they’d be spooked.’

She looked. The animals were munching away in their nosebags, looking totally relaxed. ‘Maybe they didn’t hear them?’

He frowned again, looking around. ‘Maybe, but something doesn’t feel right.’

She dropped the glasses and gave him a look, ‘what, because there’re no wolves or vampires, or huge flapping things, it doesn’t feel right to you?’

He shrugged, moving closer, taking the opportunity to slide a hand over her ass, squeezing the full, sweetly rounded cheek in his long fingers, his lips close to her ear, ‘I know what does feel right.’

She twisted and looked up at him, not quite laughing because she’d known him too long. If she gave him an inch more now when this job still needed doing it’d never get done. Her knife appeared fast as magic and just as sharp against his throat. Only a warning though, she wasn’t planning to actually use it. ‘I let you kiss me before, Bass Monroe, but if you think you can fondle my ass whenever you like, you’re delusional.’

He grinned at the reference to New Vegas, it'd become a kind of joke between them and he leaned in closer, completely ignoring the knife. His tall body was hard against her side, tongue flicking out over his lips and his hand slipping further between her legs. His eyes held hers as a tiny bead of blood trickled down the sharp blade towards her hand. ‘I seem to remember you kissing me first, Charlotte.’ His hand spread out, lifting her up, hot and hard through the worn fabric.

She narrowed her eyes, squeezing her thighs tight around his fingers, her breath coming hard and heavy. ‘Yeah, ok… but damn it Bass, we’re just about to bust into a pile of patriots. This isn’t a good time to play around.’ She pulled the knife down and away because he just wasn’t stopping. Then she sucked in a breath as he reached her clit, a long finger hitting just the right spot and sending sizzling sparks rippling through her belly. Damn he had magic fingers…

He laughed against her ear. ‘There’s never a bad time to play around.’

It was hard to concentrate on anything else but him and the hard ridge of his cock pressed against her hip, but she did it, twisting round to face him, finding him so fucking close and so, so tempting. Her whole body ached with the need to wrap itself around him and just forget about everything else.

But the image of that woman still walking around alive when she so needed to be dead was wafting across her mind like a cold, cold wind, totally spoiling her mood. And they were so close.

Her face set into lines of regret mixed with a dose of Matheson ruthlessness. ‘Bass. Stop...’ Then she swallowed, softening a little because his eyes were right there, and as well as a healthy measure of lust they were full of something she couldn’t even think about right now because if she did, she wouldn’t be able to fight with a clear head. 

She focused, sucking in enough breath to talk. ‘I’m sorry, even though I really want to, I can’t do this right now, I need us to go kill that woman first.’

He went very still, just looking at her, his laughter fading away. Then he nodded, his hand withdrawing from her, slowly, reluctantly, fingers trailing up over her hip. ‘Ok… I understand. It’s because of Jason Neville isn’t it?’ He stepped back. ‘I saw your face after you had to shoot him in Austin.’ His eyes shuttered and he looked away, face set. ‘I know you loved him.’

She felt cold and empty without his hand on her, without his body close, and the space between them was getting wider and wider. She needed to stop it happening, stop him feeling like that. Because what he’d said wasn’t true, not really. ‘Hey…’ She put a hand out to take his arm, her other hand going up to his face, trying to turn him back to her but it was like trying to turn a tree. 

His eyes were distant, far away.

She put everything she could into telling him how it was. ‘I thought I loved Jason, Bass, and in a way I did, but we never got the chance to find out either way because they made me kill him. So now I need to finish it. Finish her, for what they did to him.’ She moved up closer. Wanting, needing him to understand how it was, because she was only just understanding it herself. Because the sight of that woman had helped make things clear and she knew that once this was done she could finally let Jason go, could let him rest. Could move on.

He didn’t exactly come back, but he didn’t move further away either.

She reached up, brushing a curl back from his forehead and it clung to her finger as her eyes searched for his. Because he was still avoiding her and in a really strange way that was reassuring, because she knew it wasn’t a trick, that this was as real as it got. 

Then he looked back at her and for a moment everything in her world hung in the balance.

God his eyes were blue, deep and clear, like the pools at the bottom of caves. She took a deep breath, her fingers stroking the scruff on his cheek. ‘This thing we’ve got between us, Bass, it’s different. It’s bigger. Stronger. Real. I know that now.’ She felt stupid tears well up and flicked them away, ‘but I need to get this done, ok?’

The blue softened, relaxed, the tension leaving his mouth and he let out a huge, shuddering breath. Then he nodded, slowly. ‘Ok. Then let’s go get it done.’ He looked down at her belt, rubbing the little cut on his throat, his lips twitching. Her knife was back in its sheath. ‘You pulled your knife on me, Charlie…’

She reached up and kissed him, her lips lingering, tongue tasting, teasing. ‘I had to show you that I meant it, you moron.’

He grinned against her mouth. ‘If you’d meant it I’d be dead...’ 

……………………………………..

They were about half way to the wagons when Bass stopped, his arm shooting out in front of her.

Charlie stopped, wary, glancing up at him. ‘What?’. 

He held a finger up for quiet then pointed down at their feet.

She saw the faint, almost invisible line of green light, across the road just in front of them and about a foot above the ground. She frowned. Trip wire, maybe? Although it wasn’t solid… It looked almost like the colour of the lights on the screens in the helicopter and the Tower, at least that was the closest she could think of. She kept her voice low. ‘What the fuck is it?’

He was already following the light back to its source finding a small box hidden in the hollow of rock to their right. ‘It’s a perimeter warning system, electronic.’ His voice was a whisper in the dark. He looked back at her, ‘so either the power’s back on or someone’s got one of your mom’s pendants.’ He shrugged, ‘or the Nano’s won in Bradbury and we’re all fucked.’ 

She stared at him, ‘Hey, Miles won’t let it win.’ She refused to believe anything else.

He stared back at her, the same thought mirrored in his own eyes. Then he nodded, ‘of course he won’t, Charlie.’ 

She huffed out a breath, ‘and I don’t think the Nano need an early warning system either, Aaron said they just knew things.’ 

He nodded again, ‘yeah, and if the power was back on there’d be something happening in town as well.’ 

They both glanced back down the road. The town was a sharp edged smudge against the hills. No lights except for the moon. 

He swung back to the Titty Teaser, ‘I can’t see any lights on in the bar either.’

She checked the windows out. The lights flickered behind the blinds just like candles and lamps would, familiar, normal. ‘Maybe he doesn’t want to advertise?’ She dropped to a crouch, inspecting the green line. It buzzed slightly, like tiny wasps. ‘So we trip that and they know we’re here?’

‘Yeah, I think anyway.’

An eyebrow lifted and she stood back up, brushing the dust off her knees. ‘So if we don’t they’ll think they’re safe?’

He grinned, eyes hard, predatory. ‘Probably, so long as we don’t trip anything else.’ 

They heard the new sound at the same time, melting back almost without thinking about it into the cover of the stubby trees at the side of the road, the smooth snick of well oiled swords being drawn a tiny sound in the night air. Back to back, they covered each other with the ease of long practice.

The sound got closer. Charlie tilted her head towards it, ‘Bass?’

She felt him nod. ‘One rider coming,’ Then he grinned, turning his head, teeth flashing, ‘hopefully he’s got a head.’

‘What?’ She was confused, ‘why wouldn’t he have a head?’ She lifted her bow, ready to go. 

He reached around and pulled her arm down, shaking his head. ‘Bad idea.’

She frowned but nodded. She’d learned to trust his hunches, and him…

The hoof beats echoed along the road, coming fast and closer. The rider slowing to a trot as he got closer. Then as the horse went past them one of its hooves flashed green as it hit the trip line sending a rainbow ripple sparkling into the air a couple of yard ahead.

Charlie watched, her jaw dropping as a woman with long dark hair, beautiful, curvy and wearing nothing but a big white snake, a few pasties and feathers appeared right in the middle of the road, startling the horse into a rearing panic.

The rider swore, circled, got the animal back under control and just kept going, leaving the woman undulating behind him, snake hissing above her shoulder and the sound of drums and slow, sexy music rising with an elegant, naked arm. She looked very real, even with the ‘Welcome to the Titty Teaser’ banner unfurling slowly over her head.

Bass chuckled, ‘Hologram. So that’s it…’

‘Hollow what?’ Charlie was busy watching the snake gliding over the woman’s sweetly rounded tits hourglass hips and shaven pussy, her own clit pulsing as the snake’s head appeared in the gap between the top of the woman’s slim thighs. Looking uncannily like a cock, the wedge shaped head and smooth, long body slid through the rosy, fleshy lips, curving in sinuous arcs up the flat belly and between the full breasts to rest on a rounded shoulder. 

The woman’s face turned, the big dark eyes inviting, warm, a slim arm was reaching out towards her, the jewelled hand beckoning…

Charlie tried to swallow over a suddenly dry throat. ‘It’s like she’s really there.’ 

He moved closer, his lips close to her ear, breaking the spell. ‘It’s just a moving photo, Charlie.’ 

His breath stirred the tiny hairs on her cheek and she shivered at the sensation, ‘So she’s real, but not really here?’ Charlie stared at the perfect face, the perfect body, fighting the urge to go closer. ‘She’s so beautiful.’

‘Yeah, if you like that kind of thing.’ His voice was low, his tall strength close behind her.

She turned, smirking, finding his eyes right there waiting. ‘It’s the snake isn’t it? You hate snakes. Otherwise you’d be salivating.’

He laughed, ‘she’s pretty, but I bet she couldn’t use a bow or follow a trail, Charlie, or fight like you.’ His lips got closer, ‘and believe me you look just as good as her naked, if not better, especially wet.’ 

‘You spied on me?’ Her hand automatically went for her knife but this time he was there first, his fingers twining through hers, his thumb stroking down between her legs. Shit, she wanted to climb him like a tree and the thought of him watching her bare was roaring through her like whisky on a fire.

But it was his turn to smirk, ‘like you haven’t spied on me too?’ 

She shrugged, leaning onto his hand, circling her hips a little, her clit purring and her full lips curving into a sly smile. ‘Maybe… ok, once or twice.’

He sucked in a breath, ‘Shit. Lets just go kill this bitch and her friends, Charlie,’ He pulled her against him, his cock a rock hard ridge against her hip, heart thumping so loud she could hear it, ‘because I don’t think I can wait much longer.’

She licked her lips, eyes hot, her heart pounding just as hard as his. ‘Neither can I.’

Just then the woman vanished in a spray of rainbow sparks that flew up like fireworks.

They turned together, swords and guns out and ready in a reflexive action they didn’t even have to think about but the road was empty again, except for the thin green line.

Then there was a distant burst of shrieking, bubbling laughter from inside the rail in front of the Titty Teaser as the rider arrived. And as they watched, a huge, blood covered vampire almost like the one they’d run into earlier just appeared out of nowhere, a couple of bats circling its head holding another welcome banner. 

The man ignored both vampire and bats just as he’d ignored the snake woman, swinging down out of the saddle, flinging the reins of his snorting horse over the rail and running to the door. He disappeared inside, leaving the vampire hologram capering on it’s own. 

Charlie snorted. ‘Why the hell would anyone give Titty Teaser guy a pendant? He should have a tent in New Vegas.’

Bass put his gun away with a snick of metal on leather. ‘I don’t know, but I’ve got a feeling there’s more to all this than Halloween party decorations. That technology was only just getting started before the blackout and it was nowhere near as good as these things.’ He glanced over at her. ‘We gotta be smart about this, Charlie. Fanged and horny back there must have been one of their perimeter alarms so chances are they know we’re coming. We could be walking in to anything.’ He shifted his still hopeful dick to a better angle in his pants and finished checking his weapons. 

She slung her pack and bow over her shoulder and stared as the vampire over at the bar disappeared in a flare of sparks. ‘At least we know what some of his tricks are now.’ She grinned, an eyebrow twitching. ‘Ok, I’m ready. So, Juarez or Fort Stockton?’

He grinned back and brushed past her, his hand catching her ass on the way, fingers lingering. ‘Juarez, we’re in a hurry.’ 

………………………………….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thanks so much for reading part 3 and I hope you're enjoying the ride. There’s still a couple of chapters to go… should be done by Halloween though lol!! ☺ cheers, Magpie


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is for the Good Ship Charloe, Charloeween fic fest and I so hoped to have it posted for the day itself… but, never mind. Thank you so much for reading, and for your lovely comments. I hope you enjoy this. And thanks again to LoveForTheStory for her insight and great advice, thanks Love!! There’ll be one more update, very soon. ☺ Magpie

Commander Shirlee Jenkins was sitting with her back to the wall on the table furthest from the bar and the stage, trying to ignore the music. She looked around the table at her team, thin lips curled in a sneer. It was very clear to her that Washington was scraping from the bottom of the barrel. Or at least she assumed it was Washington. Her last orders had come from somewhere in Idaho. Damn it, even the fact that she was the one sitting here and not someone more suited to playing word games was a testament to how badly they were doing. How much they needed the help of this… whoever and whatever she was.

Tossing back her whiskey she set the glass down hard on the stained table, glaring over at the still sweating messenger, cursing his report, her orders and the fact that she was sitting here waiting on the whim of some weirdo scientist while her people were getting slaughtered by Sebastian Monroe and his Texan traitors over in the next town.

She was a soldier damn it. Not a fucking politician.

She gritted her teeth. Along with the crowd of rough looking farming town types in the bar tonight, all five of her so-called regulars as well as the two new cadets seated round the table had their eyes glued to the stage and the nearly naked woman dancing up there. 

Her eyes flicked up, scorn twisting her face into a mask of distaste. The dancer’s toned, oiled body was writhing and swaying in time to the thudding, pounding music, a curling feather headdress bobbing above her head and a large white snake coiling around her hips and shoulders. It was indecent. If she had her way, places like this would be burned down like the trash they were. 

Dismissing the show with a shake of her head, Shirlee scowled and reached over for the bottle of whisky on the table, pouring herself another small one. How the fuck they expected her to keep fighting Texas and the damned rebels without properly trained troops and adequate resources she didn’t know. Almost without thinking about it her hand went up to her inside jacket pocket just to make sure the leather bag with the diamonds was still in there and safe. It was, just as it had been the last time she checked. 

She scowled again. Payment shouldn’t be required. In her opinion, the ex DoD scientist calling herself the Magician should be volunteering her talents in the service of the rightful government of the United States. She shouldn’t need bribing to do her duty - or be selling herself and her skills in a tavern like a cheap whore. 

She straightened up, feeling movement in the air behind her. 

Speak of the devil.

Her skin crawled and her hands clenched into fists under the table as slim fingers slid over her shoulder, their long fingernails painted a deep, bloody red, livid against the khaki uniform, and she just managed to resist the urge to reach up and break a couple of those fingers as their host’s elegant body curled down onto the empty seat next to her.

None of her men seemed to notice the new arrival, too busy watching the action on the stage, eyes fixed and avid and tongues hanging out like the useless lumps of dung they were. She gritted her teeth…

‘Welcome to the Titty Teaser, Shirlee.’ The Magician’s voice was soft and sweet with a slight Mexican accent and it floated over the noise around them like cream over coffee. 

A small part of Shirlee Jenkins noticed that the scientist was gorgeous. Tall, curvy in all the right places with smooth, creamy skin and big, kohl lined dark eyes. The full lips were painted as red as her nails and a short, skin-tight black dress showed off her hourglass figure. She looked young though, much younger than Shirlee had expected, much too young to have been working in the pre-blackout DoD. This woman only looked to be in her twenties, if that…and how the hell did the bitch know her name anyway?

The Magician leaned forwards slightly, breasts plumping above her arm, a thick silver oval pendant on a heavy chain glinting and caught between them. ‘You wanted to speak with me?’

Shirlee looked up from those breasts and fell into hypnotic, swirling dark eyes and managing to pull herself back only with an effort of will honed over the long, hard years. The power of those eyes sent a shiver of unease started at her toes, working it’s way up her spine and she sat up straighter, glaring. ‘It’s Commanding Officer Jenkins,’ unable to keep the growl out of her voice even though she was supposed to play nice. ‘And I’m here to see the Magician. Where is she?’

The other woman shrugged and smiled, tongue slipping out over those red lips as though tasting something delicious. ‘She’s right here… or maybe she isn’t. It depends how much I like what you’ve brought me.’ She reached across the table, patting the pocket containing the little leather bag.

Shirlee jerked back, knocking the hand away in a reflexive movement and going for her sword. She stopped herself just in time… 

The Magician smiled like a cat then yawned, her fingers hovering in front of her lips. ‘Hmm… it’s a generous gift. And I was starting to think your President didn’t want me.’ The beautiful face leaned closer, eyes narrowed, the smile gone. ‘But he made me wait, an’ now you’re too late.’ She lifted a graceful hand above her head and clicked her fingers.

Over in the corner of the room a heavy set man in worn biker leathers saw her signal, nodded once, and got up.

…………………………………

Behind the ornate bead curtain that hung between the cloak room where they were waiting and the main bar, Charlie was rigid with tension, all kinds of tension, her hand wrapped around the hilt of her knife and her lips tight, ‘Happy Halloween my ass. I’m still pissed that Blanchard didn’t tell us about his little deal with the Magician before we got here.’ She glanced behind her and up at him, eyes glittering.

Bass shrugged, ‘She did say they’re old friends… and he doesn’t know what happened to you in Austin, or about Jenkins, so I guess he thought he was doing us a favour.’ He was close behind her, one hand resting lightly on her hip, the other hovering near his sword belt and his lips close to her ear. ‘And he’s paid for us to have a few days holiday here all expenses paid.’ His fingers spread out over the bare, smooth skin at her midriff, brushing the delicate hip bone with his fingertips. He breathed her in, the scent and feel of her like a drug he couldn’t get enough of. ‘It’s quite thoughtful of him really, ’ 

‘I guess…’ She shivered at the feel of him so close, his hot breath sending a tingle down her spine that had everything to do with the fact that as well as being keyed up about the meeting with Jenkins, she was still horny as hell, with no chance to do anything about it, yet anyway. She tightened her thighs, squeezing her clit and between them, trying to take the edge off. ‘Some holiday though, I think the Magician just wants to eat you up. I’d have to spend all my time fighting her off.’ She put on a sultry, Mexican voice, ‘Oh Sebastian, it is so good to finally meet you, now I have to kiss you and slobber all over you…’ 

His lips twitched, ‘yeah, but I don’t think she’ll do it again, especially after you accidentally trod all over her feet.’

She laughed this time then leaned back against him, reaching between them with her free hand, sliding it over his thigh. ‘It worked, didn’t it, but remind me to tell Blanchard that I don’t like surprises, ok? Especially tall, dark and gorgeous ones.’ Her eyes slanted up at him. ‘And just so you know, Monroe, I don’t share very well.’

It felt so damn fucking good to have her hands on him. ‘You’ve got nothing to worry about, Charlie, I told you before, I like beautiful, fearless blonds that I trust with my life.’ He fought with the urge to rip her jeans off and sink himself into her right here, right now, balls and all, to hell with everyone and everything else.

She slanted a glance up at him, eyes full of promises, her hand stroking closer to where his cock stirred, aching for her. ‘Alright, as long as Blanchard’s paying, maybe we could stay tonight, after we finish with Jenkins? It’d be nice to have a night in a real bed.’

The thought of her naked, lying back on white sheets and soft pillows sent hot flashes from his head to his toes and all points between. ‘Sounds like a plan to me.’ Then he remembered something, ‘Charlie, I hate to say this but Blanchard wants her alive, remember? He’s sending a troop of Rangers to pick her up.’ He jumped as her hand tightened hard in a reflex round his dick, the sensation verging on pain as her fingernails scraped his balls. 

She let go right away, her fingers soft in apology but the knuckles of her other hand were white around the hilt of her knife and her voice had hard steel in it. ‘Then we could have a problem.’

He caught her eyes, needing her to know he was on her side. ‘Hey, Blanchard might want her still breathing, doesn’t mean I do.’ Then he froze, peering between the beads and around strands of her hair, one of the Magician’s men was waving them in. ‘There’s the signal.’

She twisted round to look up at him, her eyes hard and determined and all Matheson. ‘She’s mine, ok? You can have all the others.’

He bent down to kiss her, her lips tasting sweet and dark, full of rage and the promise of revenge and passion and he drank her down. ‘You can have whatever you want.’

She kissed him back, hard and fast, her hands pulling him skin tight against her, one of her legs twisting around his, his cock a hard ridge against her belly and her pussy hot and humid on his thigh. She pulled back just enough to see his face, hers fierce, ‘I want you, in a bed or out of it, straight after we do this, ok?’

He sucked in a breath, anticipation and sheer need streaking through him like lava streams down a mountain, ‘Charlie, you’re reading my mail.’

……………………………………..

For a long moment, Shirlee Jenkins couldn’t take in what the Magician had said. It didn’t seem to make sense. Then she saw Sebastian Monroe and a strangely familiar blonde coming towards her across the room with death written on both their faces and knew that somehow, things had gone very, very wrong.

She looked around. She and her men were trapped in this room. Every exit was blocked by what had to be the Magician’s private army, all armed to the teeth. There were no reinforcements within range and no way to contact them anyway. She didn’t understand what was happening. This was supposed to be a negotiation, a simple trade of diamonds for loyalty, instead she was more and more convinced that it had been a trap from the start. 

The music had softened to a kind of Latino guitar drawl and the dancer was leaning on the drum kit, body swaying as she watched the new show. The other patrons in the bar had turned and were watching too. In fact it seemed that every eye in the place was on her and her men and except for the fact that there was a general exodus from the tables around them as people moved to a safe distance, no one seemed bothered at all that there was about to be one hell of a bar fight.

Her lips curled in a sneer, judging by the type of clientele and the calibre of entertainment on show tonight, bar fights were probably a regular part of the show.

The Magician stood up in one lithe movement, still beautiful but somehow predatory. She looked older, harder, as though under the beauty there was something else, something very different. ‘I’d say come back again sometime, Shirlee,’ she shrugged and flicked her fingers in a little wave, ‘but somehow I don’t think I’ll see you again.’ Then she turned and walked over to the bar, hips swaying in that dress like something out of a pre-blackout fashion magazine as she took a drink from the bartender and laughed at something he said as though she hadn’t a care in the world. 

Commander Shirlee Jenkins watched her go, the taste of failure like a stone in her gut and part of her wondering what she’d just seen. Then she got to her feet and drew her sword, feeling every long year of a hard, bitter life in her bones and cursing the fact that she’d come prepared for negotiation, not battle. 

There was the sound of chairs scraping on the floor around her and her lips tightened. Her men had finally realized that something was wrong and were on their feet, fumbling for their weapons and getting in each other’s way. She glared and they shuffled back, giving her room but surrounding and shielding her as they’d been trained to do. Out of long habit, she made a mental note that her two cadets were actually doing pretty well, much better than the others. They were calm, alert, flanking her and waiting for orders, a credit to her training, true weapons. She allowed herself a moment of pride. 

But as Sebastian Monroe came closer, tall, graceful, deadly, a sword swinging from each hand in a relaxed, easy grip, she found herself feeling almost sorry for them. Because even with all that youth and training she knew they wouldn’t be good enough. Not against him. 

She gave the order anyway then watched stone faced, any hope of getting out of this mess evaporating as Monroe circled her men like a hunting shark then sent his twin swords scything through all seven of them in turn like hot knives through fat without them landing a single blow in return. She watched, reluctant admiration rising like acid in her throat as he finished the last one, her last cadet with a symmetry of uppercut and cross swing so smooth and fine that she was almost glad she’d lived long enough to see it. 

And as she stood there, vaguely aware of the blood spreading over the floor at her feet and that the room was filled with excited shouts and cheers that just kept getting louder and louder, all she could think about was that he was possibly the best she’d ever seen.

After Monroe finished slaughtering her men, he went and stood behind the girl, not even breathing hard, just standing there with swords dripping blood like death himself, a cold smile and hard, brilliant blue eyes riding that famous, handsome face.

And that was when the blond girl stepped forward. Moving easily, smoothly over the bloody floor, all blue stare and bravado, her sword held in a steady hand. And unless Shirlee was very much mistaken, that was real, honest hatred shining in those pretty eyes. 

She briefly wondered why, then raised her sword and waited, her brow creasing as a small, distant memory surfaced of this same girl and a young man, dark haired, good looking, coming into her shop in Austin before the failed attempt to assassinate Carver. They’d said they were part of the cadet cell sent to do the job and she’d sent them upstairs to join the others. It was definitely the same girl, but that didn’t explain the hate in her eyes. 

Then another face rose up from that day, Jason. A disappointment. She’d expected more from him than to find him dead without completing his mission.

So, was it coincidence? Or something else...

Charlie stopped just out of reach, her sword held ready as she studied the tall, thin figure of Commander Shirlee Jenkins. The woman looked thin, old and wrinkled in a worn, baggy uniform, almost pathetic really, but she wasn’t. She really wasn’t. She was a high-ranking officer in the Patriot army, a soldier. Charlie had seen her in the square, had seen Jason walking away from her. This woman, this…patriot… had activated him, she was sure of it. 

The big room was quiet now, voices hushed, and the band had stopped playing. The Magician was watching from the bar, a little smile playing around her lips, her fingers gently stroking the pendant around her neck. 

Charlie lifted her sword, glad to see it was steady because she was working to get her voice out past the lump of anger, hate and anguish in her throat at the memory of seeing Jason fall. Of having to pull the trigger and kill him because he wouldn’t stop trying to kill her, because the patriots and this woman had turned him into someone else, someone who didn’t know her, who didn’t care about anything except killing. 

She found her voice at last but it came out as a harsh whisper. ‘Do you remember me? From Austin?’

The woman nodded, her hooded eyes cold and strangely empty. ‘Maybe.’ 

‘And do you remember Jason Neville?’

Another nod. Something flickered in those cold eyes. Curiosity? Malice? ‘I remember that he failed, that he let someone stop him completing his mission. Let someone kill him.’ Her head tilted and she shifted her grip on the sword. ‘Was it you?’ the eyes narrowed, looking Charlie up and down, ‘if it was, you’re either a lot better than you look or very lucky. Jason was a good soldier, I know, I helped train him.’

Charlie felt her body go cold, frozen and she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. 

Shirlee nodded, slowly. ‘It was you, wasn’t it? Or is this about something else?’ The thin lips were curved in a smile that had nothing friendly about it, that was all insinuation and scorn. ‘He was a good looking boy, I can understand if you were attracted,’ then she shrugged, ‘shame you ended up on opposite sides though, wasn’t it.’

Charlie felt the awful cold recede, because that was wrong. At the very end, just before he died, Jason had been himself, it had just been a glimpse, but it had been there. She stood very straight, very calm. ‘He wasn’t on your side. You tried to make him into something he wasn’t, but in the end it didn’t work, because he came back.’ 

She could feel Bass behind her, could feel the heat from his body, his strength and support, solid and fierce, absolute. She and Jason had had something. Something that might have been more if this world had given them a chance, but now she had Bass Monroe, and she’d never been more sure and certain of anything in her life. 

She felt all the eyes on her, the hot curiosity of the crowd and their thirst for more blood. 

They weren’t going to get it though, at least not from her, not tonight. Because Shirlee Jenkins was right, she’d been lucky, luckier than Jason that day in Austin, not better. Jason was a good soldier, at least he’d tried to be, he’d also tried to be better than the people who wanted to control him. He’d proven that over and over. And she knew what Jason would want her to do right now. He wouldn’t want her to waste good intel, not for revenge. They were still at war and this woman knew things that could help them win. 

She took a deep breath and sheathed her sword. The snick of metal on leather seemed to echo round the room. ‘I want you to remember that you were the one who failed,’ Then she turned and walked away, her hand reaching out towards Bass. 

He sheathed his swords in a flash of reddened steel and followed.

Shirlee Jenkins stared after the two of them, her eyes empty, her sword taken from her hand by the men she hadn’t noticed come up behind her, and as they pushed a ball gag into her mouth, stopping her using the only option she had left, Monroe glanced back and she saw the cold smile cross his face, saw the look in those blue eyes and knew he was the one who warned them about the cyanide tooth. 

She kept staring while they tied her hands behind her back with rough, efficient hands before searching her for her other weapons. 

But neither of them looked back again.

And as her captors led her away, the babble of voices returned, the clink of glasses rose above the guitars and drums and the band started up again as though nothing had happened.

She tasted failure then and it was ashes and old rubber in her mouth.

…………………………………..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This story took a turn down a darker road than I thought it was going to, but I hope you liked how it turned out. I really wanted to let Charlie face some of her own, personal demons – and come out the other side.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!! There’s one more chapter to go, it’ll be up soon, and Charlie and Bass will finally have some time to themselves lol! But it is still Halloween (in the story anyway ☺) and spooky things could still happen - as well as Charloe things lol!! Cheers, Magpie


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is for the Good Ship Charloe, Charloeween fic fest and I so hoped to have it posted for the day itself… but life has been very full up and it didn’t happen. So thank you so much for coming back, for reading and for your lovely comments. I hope you enjoy this last chapter.. Magpie

Charlie walked over to the bar and the waiting figure of the Magician, feeling just a little lighter inside. The guilt and pain over killing Jason wasn’t gone but somehow it was a bit less. She glanced over at Shirlee Jenkins. It would have been so easy to kill the Patriot cadet handler, but this way at least Jason’s death could have some kind of meaning, besides that, Texas was well known for its very effective interrogation methods. The woman would soon be wishing with all her non-existent heart that Charlie had killed her.

Bass was striding along next to Charlie, still on alert, his icy blue eyes following the gaunt, hard faced figure of the Patriot as the Magician’s men marched her away. His hand hovering over his sword hilt until she was through the door and outside. Then his attention turned to Charlie, his eyes softening, lips curving a little. ‘I’ll take a bet she’s wishing you finished her off right about now....’

She grinned up at him, ‘you’re reading my mail.’

The line had become a kind of running joke between them, because that kind of thing happened so often. He chuckled then reached down and patted her ass, his fingers lingering, playing with the links of the chain on her belt.

She leaned back, her hip brushing up against the hard, flexing muscles of his thigh, her shoulder against his chest, counting the minutes until they could be on their own somewhere without any more fucking interruptions.

His lips grazed her ear. ‘If the Magician doesn’t give us a room in less than five minutes, I say we head to the stables and find an empty stall.’

She nodded, her face burning and heart pounding, not surprised that he’d done it again. ‘sounds good to me...’ 

They walked faster. 

The owner of the Titty Teaser was sitting on a stool looking relaxed and beautiful, the legs under the short dress a mile long, her skin like smooth coffee silk, dark hair falling in long, shining waves over her shoulders and the pendant twinkling between her breasts. She lifted her drink in a salute to Charlie. ‘That was impressive, I admire a woman who can put business before personal satisfaction.’ Her eyes slid to Bass, ‘and if you ever get tired of working for Frank Blanchard, Sebastian, I’m always on the lookout for a man who’s that good with his swords.’

Charlie smiled, but her eyes narrowed, and she moved so that she was between Bass and the Magician. ‘Sorry, but I think Frank’s got other plans for him… so have I,’ she paused, an eyebrow lifting, ‘so what’s your real name anyway?’

The other woman laughed, ‘it’s been so long since I’ve used it I think I’ve forgotten, and maybe it’s better that way.’ She drained her glass, set it down on the bar and stood up. ‘Come with me and I’ll check you in, I’ve got a balcony room on the top floor that has a view you won’t believe,’ She looked them both over and her lips twitched again, ‘although maybe the view’s a waste of Frank’s money because somehow I don’t think you’ll be seeing much of it.’

Charlie smirked, ‘depends on the view,’ she slanted a glance up at Bass, her eyes hot.

He ran a finger down her arm, moving closer as they followed the Magician through some antique Spanish saloon doors into a lamp lit reception room, watching as she waved the staff away. ‘And if there’s a lock on the balcony doors.’

She turned, ‘don’t worry, Sebastian, nothing’s going to disturb you up there.’ A dark eyebrow lifted, ‘unless it can fly…’ 

Charlie had a sudden memory of the shadow that flapped over the moon. ‘That won’t be a problem.’ She patted her bow, ‘this’ll be under my pillow.’ 

Bass’ free hand was hovering over a sword hilt, ‘and I keep this real close too.’

The Magician looked him up and down and chuckled. ‘Sounds a bit uncomfortable to me, but whatever rocks your boat.’ She stepped around behind the ornate counter, high heels clicking on the stone floor and took a couple of keys off the rack, handing one each to Bass and Charlie. ‘We’re pretty full tonight,’ her head tipped towards the bar where the music was getting louder, more raucous, ‘on a night like this the whole town and most of the population from a hundred miles around comes out to party.’

The keys to the rooms were on a board behind the desk and were hung on rings in the shape of vampires and monsters. Charlie held hers up, ‘cute.’ It was a miniature copy of the vampire Bass had sliced through on their way through town, complete with leer and crotch grab. She held it up, swinging it. The little eyes almost seemed to follow her...

‘Very cute…’ He lifted his own, a snarling werewolf, ‘I’m glad we didn’t meet this guy,’ then he leaned on the counter, a long finger pointing at the pendant currently trapped between the soft mounds of the Magician’s breasts. ‘I’m guessing Blanchard knows you’ve got that, and what it can do?’

She nodded, her long, slim fingers wrapping around it, dark eyes gleaming from behind a fall of hair, ‘I thought you’d know what it was, and yeah, he knows, and he makes sure we’re protected up here so I can do my research.’ 

‘Research?’

She slid onto a stool leaning over the counter towards him, long fingernails tapping on the slate, ‘I’m working on ways to reprogram and replicate the pendants,’ An eyebrow lifted and she stroked one of the little key rings, ‘and having a whole lot of fun along the way.’

Charlie was watching, curious, ‘I know that four of the pendants were destroyed before the bombs fell, how many more are there?’

The Magician smiled, ‘now that’s something we’d all like to know, darling.’ She shrugged an elegant shoulder. ‘Rumour has it there are at least half a dozen more out there. There were twelve originals made by the Matheson team, and as you said at least four of those were destroyed. But we also know that Randall passed the tech to his black ops team and that they had people working on them too,’ she put the key ring down and took hold of the pendant instead, her fingers moving over the metal gently, purposefully, ‘so there could be any number out there.’ Her lips twisted, ‘if they got the tech right of course.’ 

‘If there were others, wouldn’t we have heard something about them by now?’ Charlie couldn’t look away from the silver oval. It seemed such a little thing to cause so much trouble.

Bass frowned, ‘not if whoever had them had orders to keep out of sight.’

‘Maybe,’ Charlie was getting impatient, ‘but if anyone was using helicopters or planes, or if the power was on anywhere we’d have heard about it, like Bradbury.’

The Magician stood up, still holding the pendant. ‘You didn’t know I was here, did you? And obvious things like planes or helicopters aren’t always the best thing. Sometimes subtle can be more effective.’ Her finger moved slightly on the outside edge of the pendant with a tiny click. The air around her rippled and a familiar figure appeared, tall, male, hard faced and dressed in a pre-blackout suit.

‘Davis?’ Bass had his gun in his hand almost without thinking about it. ‘Fuck…’

Charlie had her knife raised and ready too, arm pulled back and her eyes wide.

Thick, male fingers twitched on the pendant and the air rippled again, the figure flickering and changing in a blurred, staccato of colour and line until someone else stood in front of them, someone even more familiar.

‘Miles?’ Charlie was confused, this Miles was younger than the man she remembered, clean shaven and in a strange uniform, although she recognised the sergeant’s insignia on his arm. A bright gold and enamelled medal was hanging on a wide blue ribbon around his neck, the metal shining. She lowered her blade and glanced at Bass.

He was staring, his eyes swimming blue, back very straight. ‘I remember that day, it was after we returned from a tour and Miles was awarded the Congressional medal of honour. He hated having his picture taken and our fucking CO had to give him a direct order to let ‘em do it.’

‘You and General Matheson are famous, the photo wasn’t that hard to find.’ The voice could have belonged to Miles too, although there was a hollow, almost mechanical tone to it.

Bass blew a breath out through his teeth, ‘I can see why Blanchard wants to keep you safe.’ He looked closer, ‘It’s very good, you’ve even got the scars right,’ his walked around the image of his brother, impressed, ‘and obviously you can walk around and still keep the illusion.’

The Magician/Miles smiled and came out from behind the counter. ‘So long as you’re in the pendant’s field, yes.’

Charlie moved closer, reaching out to touch. Her fingers found fabric, thick and smooth, pre-blackout, muscles ridged hard under it. It was eerie to see him up close, strange. He was the same but so different. Miles but not Miles, the same harsh, dark stubble, the same shock of thick dark hair, but his skin was smoother and not as lined around the eyes. The eyes themselves were hard though, fierce, and it was easy to believe that this Miles would be as good at killing as the Miles she knew today. She met the eyes and saw the Magician behind them. ‘Can you be anyone you want?’

The eyes flickered, ‘The nanotech needs a template, a photo or an actual person or thing to copy,’ There was another flicker and Blanchard was suddenly there, big, hairy, leering. His pants held up by braces with brass buckles in the shape of Texas.

Charlie jerked back out of reach. ‘Shit…’

Bass choked off a laugh, ‘so the horny old bastard can actually be in two places at once, bet he loves that.’

Another flicker and the Magician was back in her original disguise. ‘He does.’ She winked, ‘a lot.’ She patted the pendant, ‘it also works as a very effective sunscreen and personal shield .’

Charlie stared, impressed, ‘it was you at the last Ranger parade, wasn’t it?’ She glanced up at Bass, ‘I thought he sounded different.’

Bass came up behind her, his body big and hot and almost, almost touching hers, his breath hot on her neck, ‘his wife probably thought it was an improvement.’

She laughed. Then her hand found its way to his thigh, her fingers gripping the hard flesh under the rough jeans, her ass pressing back against him, feeling the heavy, thickening ridge of his cock against her back. She shivered, the heat of his skin sending goose bumps flooding along her arms and pebbling her nipples. Suddenly all the stuff about the pendants, important as it was, seemed very far away… 

The Magician leaned back against the counter, watching them, amused. ‘Ok you two, I think it’s time for bed… Top of the stairs, the room at the end of the hall. There’s something to eat, fresh linen, your own bathroom with towels and running hot water and a bottle of whisky on the house.’ She smiled, a slow, knowing smile, ‘I’ll get someone to take you up a tray in the morning, but there’s no need to hurry, we’re all night owls around here. 

Charlie felt her cheeks burn, not only because the other woman had seen but from the sparks that surged from her toes all the way up at the thought of having a room to themselves and an actual bed with clean sheets for a whole night. Real privacy. No troops snoring a few feet away, no need to take turns on watch, and no peeing behind trees with one hand on her bow. Heaven. She felt Bass right behind her, could feel the tension rising in him too, feel his breath, short, harsh on her skin, his heart pounding as fast as hers. 

She turned her head so she could see him, her eyes meeting his like a clash of swords, like sparks and fire. And it was the Tower and Batman and the hallway in the school, the pool, Pottsboro, him in that cage, him coming back. It was all the times they’d fought side by side, saved each other, killed together, ran together, drank whisky from the same bottle, been on the road together. It was all the times they’d been close but never close enough, not until right, fucking, now.

He grinned, all white teeth and wild, intense eyes, a bright, fiery blue that kept her hypnotised. Then he swung her round and picked her up, her legs swinging up to circle his hips, latching on, his sword hilts digging deep into her thighs but she didn’t care, just hung on tighter and laughed up at him, her pack and bow hanging from one shoulder, belly buzzing, clit pulsing and nipples doing the dance of joy.

She looked over his shoulder at the Magician, breathless, her eyes gleaming. ‘Thanks…’ Then she forgot about everything else but the tall, male, hard muscled body she was wrapped around, the feel of strong arms holding her up and his hands on her thighs, on her ass, her breasts crushed against the flat, hard planes of his chest, her hair caught up in his and falling loose again in long, silky strands. 

Bass groaned into her ear as the damp heat between her legs found his hard, imprisoned and aching cock and she caught his mouth with hers, his lips warm, spicy, his tongue seeking hers out, tasting her too, her eyes holding his as he carried her up the winding stone stairs and along a vaulted, carpeted and painted hallway. She was vaguely aware of the eyes of portraits following them while her whole body tingled and sang with anticipation as they got closer to the door until she couldn’t catch her breath and her pussy was so wet she could smell the sweet musky scent of it. She couldn’t tell whose heart was beating faster, his or hers or whose breath was faster, and her lips were already tingling and swollen from his hard, hungry kisses…

She didn’t know how they got into the room either but they did, Bass somehow managing to keep hold of her while he struggled to get the key in the lock, both of them laughing like idiots while Charlie clung to his neck, trying not to fall down and land on her ass.

Then they were inside…

As soon as the door was shut and secured, she slipped out of his arms, dropped everything on the floor except essential weapons and she and Bass did a fast, efficient and thorough perimeter check by moonlight like the soldiers they were, no words needed, eyes only, making sure any doors and windows were locked and bolted, nothing under the huge bed, ditto cupboards, wardrobes, balcony. Especially the balcony.

When she got to the French doors that led outside though, Charlie had to stop. The view was spectacular, just as the Magician had promised. The wide, stone platform with its stone balustrading framed a moonlit view of a vast, steep and misty valley surrounded by peaks that stretched up and away into the far distance, the full moon shining bright and beautiful above them. ‘Wow...’ She almost couldn’t speak it was so amazing. It was like looking down over the edge of the world.

Bass was right behind her, his hands sliding down her arms, fingers lacing through hers, his teeth nibbling her neck, tongue leaving a trail of cool wetness that made her shiver. ‘Yeah, it’s ok I guess, but right now I’m more interested in getting you naked.’ His hands moved from hers to the little strip of flesh between her jeans and tank, fingertips lightly running over her skin, meeting at her belly button and sliding down, just under the waistband of her jeans, flicking the top buttons undone, lingering there then sliding down under the edge of her panties. The skin of his fingertips was rough, calloused and the sensations took her breath and sent her blood racing.

She gasped, leaning back against him, his big body and thick cock both hard and hot against her back, her back arching, hips thrusting forwards, belly taut and her pussy pleading for him to find it…

He didn’t keep going far enough though, his fingers stopping at the first, damp curls, teasing, tickling, stroking down the slick valley between her pussy lips to the swollen stem of her clit, tweaking and circling then pulling back, leaving her desperate and writhing against him. He laughed against her throat and sent his hands up under her tank to her breasts, lifting the thin material as he went and stripping it over her head and off, throwing it aside, ‘I’ve wanted to do this for a long, long time,’ he kissed the smooth flesh of her shoulder, biting, sucking then letting go, licking the spot to soothe it then blowing over it gently. ‘Not going to rush it now.’

Charlie was moaning as streaks of what felt like lightening snaked down to her clit and buckled her knees. ‘Monroe... Fuck that. Hurry up damn it,’

He laughed again and snicked her bra open and off in a move so fast she didn’t know how he did it and cared less, then leaned down to reach her breast with his lips, ‘I love it when you talk dirty.’ His mouth latched onto her nipple and sucked, tongue flicking the tip and the sensitive flesh around it, one hand circling her breast and squeezing. 

She shivered, it felt hard and in the delicious zone between pain and pleasure. She loved his roughness, his strength… 

His other hand slipped down between their bodies to undo his own pants, his fingers sliding down over the cheeks of her ass and his nails tracing lines of fire down over the springy flesh and smooth skin.

That little trick on its own sent extra jolts of lust rocketing every which way through her entire body and she sucked in a breath, letting it out in a hoarse laughing gasp as his cock replaced his fingers and he dry fucked her, spreading her with his hard length above the bunched and worn fabric of her jeans, while her nipples and breasts sang under his fingers, lips and tongue, and her clit and hungry core cried out for more.

Her knees finally gave way and she fell back against him, his arms catching her, lifting her up and over to the bed, laying her down on the soft sheets and even softer mattress. It felt like lying on clouds after their usual bedroll on the ground.

Charlie looked up at him, her chest heaving and body buzzing as he stood gazing down at her, his cock standing thick and proud framed by the fly of his jeans and the singlet under the open wings of his shirt. The moon shining in through the balcony windows outlined him in silver, glinting on the curls on his head and scruff. He was wild and beautiful and the look on his face made her catch her breath, her heart pound even more.

He dropped to his knees beside the bed, his eyes glowing silver blue pools. ‘Charlie, before we do this, I need to tell you something.’ 

Damn, he looked so serious…

He took a deep breath, let it out. ‘Did you know that Miles asked me to take care of you before he left.’

She nodded, not sure where he was going with this, ‘I thought he would, guessed he had.’

He leaned in closer, fingers feathering over her ribs, the outside of her breasts, her belly, the outside curves of her breasts, his eyes following then returning to her face, the blue deep, careful, totally open. ‘I think he knew how I felt about you even then, knew that I’d give my last breath if it meant saving you, that I’d keep you alive if it was the last thing I ever did.’

Her breath left in a rush and a lump surged to her throat, because she knew that he meant every word he said. He’d kept his word too. They’d saved each other so many times, in so many battles now she’d lost count, but she never stopped counting on him. She raised a hand and cupped his cheek, knew her eyes were glowing as much as his. ‘Bass, he asked me to look after you too. Because he knew that I would, that I wouldn’t leave you alone.’

He was very still for a moment, ‘I didn’t know he did that.’ He leaned closer, his tongue darting out over his lips, his hands harder on her skin, his eyes right above hers. ‘I used to think my good luck had left me, Charlie. But it came back the day you walked into Gould’s tent in New Vegas. You saved me, Charlie.’ 

She pulled his head down towards her, felt him falling, the bed bouncing and his arms arching over her as he braced himself on the bed. She laughed up at him, the memory of him in that tent, nearly naked, covered in sweat and the blood of the other guy as well as his own was pushing her fucking buttons hard and fast. ‘So are you going to save me now?’

He froze above her, body tense, ready. ‘From what?’

She was trying to pull his shirt off, getting nowhere. ‘From death by fucking frustration, you moron.’

He laughed then and pushed her arms up above her head, holding them there, stretching his long body fast down beside her and scissoring his legs around hers until she was trapped, helpless, not able to move while he dropped teasing kisses on her mouth, her throat, her breasts and belly.

She struggled, gasping and laughing too, but the feel of him so close was doing things to her that she couldn’t believe. It was like he was turning up the heat on a furnace and she was so steaming hot that she was going to explode if he didn’t fuck her soon. Then somehow, without her noticing, he’d let go of her hands, got his shirt and singlet off and was sliding out of his jeans, his boots already tossed over the side of the bed. 

He sat up and got to work on hers, pulling off first one of her boots, then the other, the muscles of his arms and chest rippling, his cock jutting out over the shadowy ovals of his balls, his legs long, lean and strong and his smile a mile wide and full of anticipation. 

Shit. Her mouth dropped open, she had seen him naked before, had snuck out and followed to watch him wash in the river, knowing that he’d done the same during their long, long flirtation, bringing herself off through the long, frustrating nights on the road time after time on the memory. But this was different. This was real. Another rush of heat thundered downwards and her eyes widened, heart hammering like a bell as he knelt at the end of the bed, her legs spread over his while he peeled her jeans and panties the rest of the way down her legs and off, tossing her belts and knives up towards the head of the bed. He looked down at her, ‘weapons drill later, ok?’  
She nodded, although the only weapon she was wanting to drill with at the moment was between his legs.

Then they were both naked.

Charlie watched him as he spread her knees out to give him room to come between them, his eyes the same intense blue they went when they were busy fighting, full of masculine force and male intent, an energy that was almost vibrating the air around him. 

He held her knees apart, dipping his gaze to look down between her legs, mouth open a little, a smile full of a mixture of awe and total lust curving his lips. ‘Beautiful.’ His hands slid down over her thighs, her flesh gripped between strong fingers, her muscles turning to jelly behind them. When he got to her pussy he stopped, his thumbs stroking the soft, sensitive skin at the top of her thighs and the inner curves of her ass, pushing the full lips together, squeezing her clit between them... 

She gasped, her hips tilting up to meet him and she held her breath, expectation and suspense almost unbearable as he leaned over her, his eyes holding hers as his cock got closer and closer, but he was still teasing, still making her wait…

She couldn’t wait any longer and snaked a hand down to play with her clit. She was so wet she could feel it spreading on her thighs, her ass, her fingers slipping through the soft, wet folds and silken flesh like she’d been swimming in a warm pool. She was panting now, eyes wide and pupils blown, breath coming in short gasps, her fingers working, excitement building until she was writhing on the bed, pushing her legs out wider, ‘Bass, please...’

His eyes flared as he watched her, tongue dipping out over his lips as he held himself still at her entrance, the domed head of his cock almost, almost there. Then he smiled and slid just inside in a sweet, hot, tight and swelling crescendo of pleasure that almost had him coming right then and there.

Her eyes flared open at the feel of him inside her, her legs tightening around the firm, springy cheeks of his ass, pulling him further, harder, all the way in and as he hit balls deep, her tight, elastic walls wrapped his cock in a welcoming tangle of wet sensation that almost sent them both over the edge… 

He groaned, deep in his throat, just hanging on… 

Through a haze of bright, sparkling pleasure Charlie saw herself reflected in his eyes as she felt him fill her for the very first time although she’d dreamt it a thousand times. Her legs tangled around his, her fingers spreading out over her pussy and around him, her thumb circling her clit, her fingers squeezing him as his thick shaft slid in and out of her, their rhythm getting harder, deeper, faster. Her body letting him out then bringing him home, the delicious friction taking them higher, closer to a release that had been building for a long, long time.

His body was big and hard and so alive in her arms, his strong legs and ass thrusting him deep again and again, making her feel whole, not alone anymore. 

It felt right, inevitable, perfect.

She laughed, gasping, as she came like thunder and lightning with all the bells and whistles, feeling him shudder above and inside her as he pulled out just in time, his release spurting in hot streams over her belly and thighs, his eyes fluttering shut and his arms closing tight around her.

He pulled her closer, his breath coming in heaving gasps, sweat and their own juices gleaming on bodies made pale by the moonlight. ‘You’re stuck with me now, Charlie.’ He leaned over, kissing her, his lips warm, sweet, ‘hope you don’t mind.’

She slanted lazy, satisfied eyes up at him and snuggled closer, reaching a hand up to slap his arm, ‘I’m counting on it, you moron.’  
………………………..

Outside on the balcony, the Magician and the snake dancer stood watching, their eyes used to the dark.

‘So we aren’t allowed to touch them? Not even one tiny bite?’ The disappointment on the dancer’s face was obvious, even through her fanged, vamped out features.

The Magician smiled, eyes glittering and the long points of her teeth flashing in the moonlight. ‘Blanchard made it very clear that they weren’t to be harmed, and he’s paid plenty for their safe passage.’ She shrugged, ‘besides, I kind of like them the way they are.’

‘They’re a big temptation for the others.’

‘I know, that’s why we’re here.’

The dancer sighed. 

High overhead, something with big wings flapped and cackled across the moon.

……………………………..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hi and thanks so much for reading!! I hope you enjoyed this little halloween fantasy I’ve nearly got new chapters ready for my other stories too, so hope to see you there. Cheers and best wishes, Magpie.


End file.
